Buffing apparatus



,BUFFING APPARATUS Filed Febi 14. 1922 o wuml ha@ @if/@M MI'ZGSM @1521.060109 Nav. 29,1927,-

ITWESSJ* l X I kPatented 29, 1327.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cHARLEs MURnoc'x JAMIEsoN, or WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA, AssIGNoR, RY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To EROGDEX COMPANY, or WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA, A CORPORA- TION 0F FLORIDA.

lhis invention relates to bufling apparatus; and it relates more particularly to apparatus especially useful for preparing fresh fruit for market in a clean, sound and readilyl salable condition and so that it will reach the consumer in such condition. The apparatus of the invention is especially useful for .the treatment of oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits which, as is well known, must be handled, packed and shipped with great care if they are to reach the consumer in good condition.

In the customary preparation of such fruit for market as heretofore practiced, the freshly picked fruit first undergoes a thorough washing to cleanse its surface, generally by submergence in a vat of water and then by passing'the fruit through a comparatively elaborate scrubbing apparatus where the fruit is subjected to the action of brushes in association with a water spray. After the cleansing operation the fruit is delivered to a drier where care is taken to evaporate off as much as possible of the surface moisture, this being important' in order to avoid the development of mold or fungi discoloring the fruit or causing its decay.

The fruit is next delivered to a rubbing or polishing apparatus, well known types of which comprise a series of parallel brush rolls which brush and polish the surface of the fruit as it is fed along the runways between these rolls. f

One of the objects of my present invention is the provision /ofcmechanically operating rubbing or polishing means in a comparatively small compact structure, which will perform the rubbing action upon the article to be bufl'ed or polished in a minimum of' time, and which will with greater certainty perform the rubbing action over the entire surface of the article.

Another object of my invention is the provision of mechanically operating rubbing means having such a buing action that it may be used, particularly in the treatment of fruit and more especially citrus fruit, to thoroughly .clean the surfaces of the fruit from all extraneous matter and optionally to permit dispensing with the customary washing and scrubbing operations hereinbefore referred to,

BUFFING APPARATUS.

Application led February 14, 1922. Serial No. 536,554.

Still another object of my invention :is the provision of mechanically operating means, and desirably in association with rubbing means in the same unitary compact structure, for applying to the fruit, after its surface has been cleansed, a coating material of such nature that by the rubbing action of the apparatus there is formed over each piece or article of fruit a thin continuous and smooth protective or preservative coating. It has been discovered that by properly applying to citrus fruit a mixture of a sealing and waterproofing material, such as paraffin, lwith a volatile liquid vehicle, such as gasolene, the fruit-may be provided with a very thin but continuous coat-ing that protects it from infection, prevents it from withering, and in general maintains its original appearance, soundness, freshness and flavor. The apparatus of the presentinvention, when employing the means for applying the coatying materwl in association with the rubbing means, enables this treatment to be carried out in a simple, economical and effective manner.

In one of its broad aspects the novel apparatus comprises buffing devices arrangedV and mounted to provide within small compass an extended bufling pathway or passage through which the articles may be fed, and means lfor positively feeding or impelling the articles along the pathway or passage at a controllable rate. The term bufling is employed. herein broadly to signify not merely buing in a limited sense, but rubbing, brushing, or other analogous frictional action.

Because of the particular applicability of the novel apparatus to the treatment of citrus and other globular fruits, reference will be made in explaining its principles, to a concrete illustrative embodiment particularly useful in treating such fruit. It is to be understood, however, that the novel apparatus in certain forms may be used for other purposes, and that the embodiment hereinafter described is merely illustrative of the broad principles involved, and that the broad scope of the invention includes various other specific constructions capable of functioning in accordance with said principles.

A typical embodimentoering important lll practical advantages particularly for treating citrus fruits and the hke 1s illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional v1ew along the line 1--1 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. l, of one form the novel apparatus may take.

In the particular embodiment oi' the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, which includes composition-applymg means, rubbing or buiiing devices, means for feeding the fruit through the region of the rubbing or bul'ling action, and means for applying a coating material to the fruit, all take the term of rotary devices compactly mounted within a single frame 10, rectangular' in general contour and supporting the necessary driving mechanism. t

In the present illustrative embodiment of the novel apparatus, the bufling devices or units are two in number and take the form ot two sets or series 11 and 12 ot annular disks cooperatively mounted to provide a buliing pathway or passage tor the fruit. Various cooperative arrangements ot the two series of disks comprising the buiiing devices to provide the pathway or passage referred to may be made; but in the illustrative example, they are mounted, respectively, upon separately rotatable spindles 13 and 14, disposed one above the other and at right angles.

The component disks of the bufling units 11 and 12 may be of any suitable material providing the proper rubbing action upon the article to be treated. In the present il lustrative apparatus, designed particularly 'for the treatment of citrus fruit, said disks are made flexible and desir-ably of a fabric material, preferably woven or ielted, and

are spaced apart by collars or spacers 15V upon their respective spindles, which spacing permits a comparatively extensive degree of.

licxure ot their edge portions, the advantages of which tiexibility, particularly in rcgard to the upper series of disks, will more fully appear hereinafter. Each disk may consist ot' one ply or a plurality ot plies oi the butiing material employed.

The disks of the upper buling device 11 are so graduated in diameter that the pcripheral surface of said buliing device, or in other words its surface of revolution, is what may be termed generally conoidal in contour. The series of disks comprising the lower buing device 12, the planes of which disks, as they are mounted in the illustrativek example, extend at right angles to the planes of the disks of the buliing device 11, are also graduated in diameter to give the peripheral surface or surface of revolution of the bull'- ing device 12 a generally conoidal form. These conoidal Surfaces ot revolution are r it concave m the form of the novel ap aratus illustrated in the drawings. It will e seen the arrangement shown, said fruit-receiving width or radial extent of the butling passage also narrows in such general direction of travel oi' the fruit, as is seen mostclearly in Fig. 1.

The spindle 14 of the lower series is mounted in bearings 16 in the frame 10 as Htl shown, and is driven by a pulley 17 and belt 18. The spindle 13 of the upper series of disks is likewise mounted in bearings 19 in. the frame 10 and driven by a pulley 20 and belt 21.

In the present instance, in the illustrative form ot the apparatus, the means for impelling or feeding the i'ruit through the buiiing pathway or passage takes the form of a rotating carrier or impeller device having a hub 2*) mounted for independent rotation upon the spindle 14 and driven by a pulley 23 and belt 24. The hub 22 carries a disk or spider 25, to which impeller blades or pushers 26 are secured in spaced circular' arrangement and project laterally therefom into and transversely across the butling pathway or passage between the juxtaposed peripheral surfaces of the bufhng devices 11 and 12. The impeller blades may extend in planes substantially radial to the axisiupon which they are mounted and have upwardly curved end portions decreasing in width, so that the impcller bladesconform in general contour to the cross section ofthe buliing passage, but are out of Contact with and can move t'rccly between the peripheral surfaces bounding said passage, as shown in Fig. 2.

Means are provided for directing fruit into the buiiingl passage and for receivingl butled fruitv discharged therefrom. To this end, in the present example, a chute 27 extends at an inclination across the frame l0, below and substantially parallel to the axis ot bulling device 11, and above and substanllt) tially at right angles to the axis rof the lower bufting device 12. rl`he bottom of this chute has a cut outl portion through which the lower butiing device and the inpcller device- 25-2t5 project upwardly into tue path-of the trait delivered to the butling "passage, the lower disks extending asa series transversely of the chute. l

The chute 27 has two, portions, one-functioning as a feed chute to feed the fruit to the betting devices, and the other function-iv ine' as a discharge chute to discharge or deliver the fruit from the buiing devices. As viewed 1n Fig. 1, the feed portion of the as viewed in Fig.' 2, the position of'a piece, of fruit. heilig indicated at l*` in dotted lines.

The discharge chute is of a width to permit the direct discharge thereinto of fruit froml any o't' the various positions at. the exit end of the buiiing passage which the fruit may have attained in its course of travel through that passage. In the present instance, in the illustrative form of the apparatus, the

discharge chute may be as wide as that por-' tion of the casing 27 encompassing the lower buling device and the rotary carrier or impeller device.

The carrier or impeller device is rotated ina direction to advance the impeller blades in succession in the upper portions of ,their path of revolution through the pathway or passage between the two bu'tling devices, that direction in the present specific instance being the clockwise direction ot' rotation indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. An article or piece ofvfruit, having been fed to a position against the peripheral surfaces of the lower disks, is engaged by the next advancing impeller blade or pusher 26, and impclled thereby in a positive feeding movement of translation into and through the passage between the two. series of disks, the piece of fruit being in the meantime bodily supported upon the peripheral surfaces of the lower series'of disks as upon a Hoor.

The rotary carrier or impeller device may have as many impeller blades spac: :l thereon, the number depending upon the diameter ot' the device, as canv eliectively operate in feeding the pieces ot' fruit in succession through the `region of batting action, and permit a tree rolling movement between two adjacent impeller blades and in varying directions along the peripheral surfaces of thc laitling disks Ain the manner hereinafter refcrred to. In the illustrative form ot' the apparatus. nine such impellerblades are shown spaced apart. to provide nine pockets for the fruit advancingthrough the, region upperbuliing devipceis rotated in a direction to cause its peripheral surface in its lower path of revolution to advance across the juxtaposed peripheral surface of the lower boiling device in a direction from the Smallest toward the largest disltof that lower butiing device as indicated by the arrowin Fig. 2, and hence ina direction to cause the fruit between the impeller blades to move longitudinally of those blades and transversely to the peripheral surface of the lower butiing device, that is, transversely to the general direction of fruit travel through the buing passage. Since the fruit is positively moved by the impeller blades through the region of the buiing action, the lower builing device need not be rotated in the direction ot" feeding movement of the fruit, although 1t may advantageously be sorotated, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.

lowerlbutiing device is preferably driven at' such a relatively high rate of speed that the centrifugal. torce substantially stiifens its ccmponent disks, especially those of larger diameter, thus rendering thesurface of said device when in operation relatively nonyielding or rigid and providinga supporting and react-ance surface for the fruit advanced thereon and presented to the bufling action of the upper buiiing device. The upper butling device, on the other hand, is preferably driven at such a low rate of speed, relative to that of the lower bu, as to atford a degree of ilexibility of its component disks in their rubbing engagement with the fruit. This flexibility permits a bending or flexing ot 'the edge portions of the upper disks in their engagement with the fruit and hence the. presentation of side portions as well as peripheral edges of these disks into rubbing engagement with the fruit, thus increasing the area of rubbing contact with the fruit, and providing anparticularly ctiective rubbing or bufiing action. While the`r optimum means velocities of the builing surfaces will differ to at considerableextcnt under practical operating conditions, a mean surface velocity ot' the order of say 5000 to (550() feet per lninuto for the lower buff 12, and of say-1000 feet per minute for the upper buit', may be mentioned to give an idea of Ythe relation between the mean surface velocities ofthe two buffs in a typical instance.

' As heretofore stated, the buiting passage for the fruit decreases in cross-sectional arca in the direction of the increasing circumferences of the generally conoidal surfaces of the two batting devices, and the upper buiiing device is rotated in a. direction tending to impel the fruit along` the passage in the direction ot' its decreasing cross-sectional `area. This arrangement therefore provides l'or increasing tlexuies of the component disks of the upper buff as the fruit is thus impelled, and also for the accommodation, in rubbingcontact with the generally conoidal surfaces of the two bufiing devices, of pieces ot' t'ruit ot varying sizes which, because ot' their varying sizes, travel in varying paths along the conoidal surfaces rel'erred to.

As heretofore stated, the pieces of fruit enter the pockets` between the carrier or impcllcr blades singly, one for each pocket, and are advanced by the impeller blades through the region ot' the butling action, the spacing ot the impeller blades permitting during that advance a rolling movement of the pieces ot' fruit in all directions along the generally conoidal peripheral surfaces" ot the upper and lower hutiing devices. Each piece of fruitthus advanced by the impeller blades is engaged in a rubbing action by the peripheral surl'aces, and in tlexure by side portions ot' the disks ot' the upper bnfiing device; and because ot the direction ot rotation ot' those disks, a rotative movement is imparted to the fruit tending to impel it transversely ot the peripheral surface of the lower butling device. At the same time the lower builing device in rapid rotation in supporting and rubbing engagement with each piece of fruit tends to impart rolling movement to the truit along, instead of transversely ot, the peripheral surface edges of its colnponent disks and hence in a diti'erent direction from the motion-imparting action of the upper butng device. In addition, the impeller or carrier blades, by engagement of the t'ruit therewith. are constantly7 varying the directions of rolling movements imparted to the fruit` the. resultant eti'cct being to produce rolling movements ot the t'ruit in the batting passage about constantly varying axes of the fruit which present the entire surface of the 'lruiti to the rubbing or batting action of the butling devices.

A coating niaterial may be applied to the lruit for the purpose heretofore stated and when `such a material is applied the novel rubbingl devices described are particularly ell'ective in forming from that coating material initially applied to the fruit, a thin, smooth coating over its entire surface. My invention contemplates means in association with the rubbing devices for applying such coating material. ln the illustrative form of the apparatus shown in the drawings, the applying device takes thc torni of a rotary wheel or disk Q8 Formed of suitable material or having a surface of suitable material to receive an application of the coating material. and to discharge the same upon the fruit in its advance to the rubbing mechanism.

Said disk may be made of felt or a plurality of plies ot woven fabric, Jfor example. Advantageously, the wheel .28 may be mounted, and is so shown in the present instance, upon the spindle 13 to be driven by the driving meansemployed for the rubbing device ll. A suitable means for supplying the coating material to the rotary applying device 28 is provided, in the present instance by a container 2t) mounted in the frame of the apparatus above the wheel 28 and having a lower portion encompassing the upper path of travel ot' the applying wheel so that the peripheral surface of the wheel is in contact with the coating material. 'lhe coating material may be ot' a fluid, semi-fluid or pasty consistency; and in a typical instance involving the treatment ot' citrus fruit, the coating material is a suitable mixture of paraffin and gasolene. The supply of coating mixture to the wheel 2S may be controlled by means ot' the adjustable valve device 30, provided in the lower portion or neck of the container.

The applying wheel is mounted in the line ot' the feeding movement of the fruit to the region ot' the bulling action, and may be. arranged to discharge its load of the coating material to the advancing fruit either by contact of the fruit with the periphery of the wheel or by projection of the coating material from the wheel due to the centrifugal force set up by its rotation, depending upon the size of the fruit.

A pan 3l may be supplied slidingly mounted in the frame 10 below the lower butling device to catch thrown-olf coatingmaterial. The pan is supplied with a handle 32 for convenience in removing the pan to dispose of the coating-material collected therein. K

A valve controlled drain pipe 33 is provided to drain ott the fluent coating n'laterial when it is desired to empty the container 25).

The novel apparatus as a single unit may loe employed as already described with or without the compositioli-applier 28, as a buii- `ing apparatus to treat. fruit; l'ireviously washed and dried in the usual manner. Omitting the composition-applier it may also he employed to dry-clean fruit. in the tirst inst ance, thus dispensing with the usual washing operations and saving the. large tloor space required in the customary pacle ing house installations tor vats and washing apparatus. Fruit cleaned in this first unit may be delivered to a second, equipped with a con'lposition-applier, to be protectively coated and polished as already described. 'lwo or more units of the novel type herein disclosed may thus be advantageously employed in series in the manner stated, or otherwise.

In the specific form of apparatus illus trated in the drawings, the cooperating buffing devices are shown as on different axes,

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but such arrangement is notl an essential feature ofthe invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. Buiiing apparatus comprising, in combination, two rotary buiiing devices, cooperating to provide a buiiing passageD through which articles may be fed, rotary feeding means mounted coaxially with atleast one of said devices and extending into said passage, and'means for driving said bufiing devices and feeding means.

`2. Bufling apparatus comprising, 1n combination, buifing members having buiiing surfaces arranged to move in predetermined paths, and cooperating to provide a bufling passage having an eii'ective width that narrows transversely toward one side, the movenient of the bufiing members being such as to direct articles being buffed toward the narrower side, feeding means operable to advance articles through said buiiing passage and govern the extent of their contact with the buffing surfaces thereof while permitting movement transversely of said passage, and means for moving said buiiing members at requisite velocity and actuating said feeding means.

3. Buiiing apparatus comprising, in combination, two rotary buiiing devices angularly disposed with respect to each other and cooperatingto provide a buiiing passage through which articles may be fed, rotary feeding means mounted coaxially with one of said devices and extending into said passage transversely of and closely adjacent the buiiing surfaces of Such coaxial buiiing device, said feeding means being capable of rotational movement independently of said buiiing devices, and means for driving said bnfiing devices and feeding means.

4. Buiing apparatus comprising, in combition, two rotary buiiing devices angularly disposed with respect to each other and cooperating to provide a buiiing passage through which articles may be fed, the contour and disposition of the cooperating baiting surfaces being such that said passage narrows toward one side, rotary feeding means mounted coaxially with one of said devices and extending into said passage transversely of and closely adjacent the bufiing surface of such coaxial buiiing device, said feeding means being capable of rotational movement independently of said buiiing devices, and means for driving said buiiing devices and feeding means, the buiiing device that is non-coaxial with the said feeding means being driven in such direction as to impel toward the narrower side of said passage articles fed therethrough. v

5. Bufiing apparatus comprising, in combination, two rotary bufiing devices having generally conoidalsurfaces of revolution and mounted operatively adjacent with their rotation axes substantially at right angles to each other, the buihng surfaces of said devices cooperating to provide a bufting passage' narrowing transversely from a' maximum Vwidth along one side toward the opposite side, feeding means operable to advance articles through said passage at a predetermined rate of speed while permitting movement ofsuch articles transversely of said passage, and meansfor driving said buiiing devices 'and feeding means, one of said buiiing devices being rotated in a direction tending to impart transverse movenient of said articles toward the narrower side of said passage.

6. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, rotary buliing devices mounted` to provide a bniiing passage through which fruit may be fed, feeding means including impeller or pusher members projecting into and movable in said passage, and means for driving said buiiing devices and said feeding means.

7. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, rotary buiing devices angularly mounted to provide a buifng passage narrowing transversely toward one side, feeding means movable in' 'said passage and relatively to the batting surfaces thereof, and means for driving said buiiing devices and said feeding means, the latter at a lower rate of speed than the bufting surfaces, the driving of said buiting devices being such as to direct the fruit toward the narrow side of said passage.

8. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, a series of flexible disks of amaterial suitable for rubbing the surface of the fruit, means mounting said disks in spaced relation upon a common axis, and means for driving said series of disks in rotative movement, means for feeding fruit past said disks in 'a path across their peripheral surfaces and through positions flexing the planes of said disks. n

S). Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, two series of rotating buifing disks, the disks of each series arranged upon a common axis, with the disks of each series graduated in diameter complementary to the disks of the other series together to provide a pathway for the fruit in simultaneous engagement with peripheral surfaces in the two series of disks, means for feeding the fruit to said pathway and means for rotating one series of disks at a different speed from the other series. i

l0. Fruit treating ap aratus comprising, in combination, two ru bing'devices, each device comprising a plurality of spaced disks upon a common axis, said axes disposed to support the disks of one device in planes at an angle to the disks of the other device and to space apart the peripheral surfaces of the disks of said devices, thereby providing a pathway `for the fruit between and in simultaneous contacting relation with the peripheral surfaces of said devices, '1neans for advancing the fruit through said pathwayv along the peripheral surface of one of said devices, and means for rotating said devices.

11.'Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, two rotatable buiing devices composed of flexible disks, the disks of both devices being arranged in spaced relation upon a common axis and graduated in diameter to a similar extent, the axes of said devices bein disposed in spaced relation at right ang es to provide a pathway for the fruit in simultaneous engagement with peripheral surfaces of both devices, means for feeding the fruit to said pathway, a.

series of spaced impeller blades mounted upon the axis of one of said buiing devices an.1 arranged to project across the peripheral surface thereof, and means for driving said buing devices at different speeds, lneans for driving said impeller blades at a slower speed than said buing devices, and means for ,receiving fruit discharged from said pathway.

12. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, means for feeding fruit in a predetermined path, a flexible buting disk mounted for rotation upon an axis positioned adjacent said path to extend an edge portion of said disk into said path, means.

for applying a coating material to said fruit in the advancing movement to said buling disk, and means for rotating said disk.

13. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, a series of flexible disks of a material suitable for rubbing the surface of the fruit, means mounting said disks in spaced relation upon a common axis, and means for driving said disks in rotative movement, means for initially applying a coating material to the fruit and means kfor feeding said'frnit past said disks in a path across their peripheral surfaces and through positions flexing the planes oi said disks.

14. Apparatus for coating globular articles, comprising, in combination, rubbing means and means to feed the fruit in a predetermined ath to said rubbing means, a rotary coating-material applying device, and means for supplying coating-material vdisks of the two series `in different thereto, said applying device being adapted to be rotated at high speed to project said coating material therefrom by centrifugal force into said path of said fruit, and means for driving said applying device at said speed.

15. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, two series of rotating buiing disks, the disks of each series arranged in spaced relation upon a common axis, With the two series of disks disposed relative to each other to provide complementary rubbing surfaces, permitting simultaneous engagement of the fruit with a rubbing surface of a disk ot each series, means for feeding the fruit to said rubbing surfaces, rotary coating-material applying means mount* ed upon the axis of one ol said series of disks and operative to apply coating material to said fruit and means for drivin(r the directions of rubbing engagement with the fruit.

16. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, rubbing elements, including a rotary rubbing element, cooperating to provide a runway for fruit to be treated,`

means operable to supply coating material to fruit passing through the runway, and impelling means operable to positively advance fruit through said runway, said impelling means comprising a'series ot spaced pusher members projecting into and movable through said runway.

17. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, rubbing elements, including a rotary rubbing element, cooperating to provide a runway for fruit to be treated, and impelling means operable to positively advance fruit through said runway, said impelling means comprising a series of spaced pusher members projecting into and movable through said runway.

18. Fruit treating apparatus comprising, in combination, rotary builingy means, movable controlling means acting positively on fruit to govern the length ot time which the fruit remains in Contact with said butling means, and driving means for actuating said buiiing means and controlling means,

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

CHARLES MURDOCK .l AMIESON. 

